xposted from Sheffield forumPublished Date: 14 January 2009 By Sarah DunnA FAMILY left heartbroken when their dog went missing are on top of the world today – after their pooch turned up 10 miles away more than a YEAR later.Jane Hoey and her three children were devastated when Sensie the Staffordshire Bull Terrier "disappeared off the face of the earth" through the back door of their Woodseats home.

They put up posters, asked neighbours if they had seen him, and even appealed through the pages of The Star – but Sensie was nowhere to be found.

But Jane – mum to Carly, aged 20, Curtis, 17, and Jasmine, 12 – said the family never gave up hope that he could be found because he had been fitted with a microchip.

She said: "It was heartbreaking for us all, especially Jasmine who was only 11 at the time. We'd arrive home and the house would seem so empty.

"After having Sensie for six years we were so used to him being there.

"Even the cats missed him – they would go and sit in his basket.

"We did everything we could to find him, asking people, putting up posters, putting our story in The Star, but he just seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

"The only way I thought we might find him after all that was if he got taken to a kennels or a vet and they checked the microchip.

"And in the end that's exactly what happened!"

The happy reunion came about after a member of the public found a stray dog wandering around Chesterfield town centre and took him to the town's St Bernard's Animal Sanctuary.

Sanctuary team leader Joan Cartwright said: "We take in all the strays in this area and it was a bitterly cold night.

"The dog was thin and in poor condition. Fortunately, when we checked to see if he was microchipped we found out his owner's name and contact details.

"And when I phoned the number and asked if anyone had lost a dog, the lady who answered told me she had – over a year ago!"

The next day Jane and her children travelled to Chesterfield for an emotional reunion with Sensie and to take him back home.

Jane said: "It felt a bit strange – it was a bit like being told he'd come back from the dead because we hadn't seen him in so long, but we had never stopped thinking about him.

"He walks with a bit of a limp now and has gone bald at the back. We don't know where he's been or how he's been treated.

"He was a bit quiet at first but he recognised us and, gradually, he has come back round to us. It's great to have him back home again."

Both Jane and Joan stressed the importance of getting pets microchipped to give owners the best chance of being reunited with their pets if they go missing.

Joan also appealed for donations of dog food to help the St Bernard's Animal Sanctuary, particularly in the current economic climate when many dogs are being abandoned. Call 01246 456 177 if you can help.

« Last Edit: January 15, 2009, 02:33:37 PM by K9 »

Logged

He is your friend,your partner, your defender,Your Dog! You are his life,his love,his leader! He will be yours,faithful and true to the last beat of his heart! You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion!SAVING ONE DOG MAY NOT CHANGE THE WORLD BUT IT SURE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THAT ONE DOG